


More Than This

by electricAfter



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, Multi, Self-Harm, Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-05
Updated: 2013-05-22
Packaged: 2017-12-04 08:48:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/708840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electricAfter/pseuds/electricAfter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bro and John come together over the loss of someone close.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Goodbye.

\- turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 04:13 –  
TG: hey  
TG: yo egbert  
TG: john??  
TG: i guess youre probably asleep like the rest of the world  
TG: oh well  
TG: a reply would be really nice right about now  
TG: seriously man we need to talk  
EB: what the hell man? it’s the middle of the night.  
EB: is everything ok?  
TG: not really  
TG: but theres something ive been meaning to tell you  
TG: i love you john  
EB: dave, what’s wrong?  
TG: goodbye.  
EB: dave?  
EB: DAVE???  
EB: ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW GODDAMNIT.  
\- turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 04:47 –

Your name is Dave Strider. You hate your life and everything in it. Except John. It’s impossible to hate John. You hate yourself for hating everything. You especially hate what you about to put John through, but sometimes, you need to do stuff you really hate.   
You walk down the hallway to the bathroom, being extra careful not to wake your Bro, although you don’t see why. You hate him just like you hate everyone else. He has been nothing but a pain lately. He’s been all worried about your health lately, and you honestly could not care less. Sure, you were always on the small side for your age, and skipping lunch daily probably wasn’t the best idea, but that was your business.   
What does any of that matter anyway? It doesn’t, really.   
There is a knife in the drawer under the sink. You had put it there a while back, in case you would ever it. You pick up the knife and run your finger along the blade and think to yourself how the knife would probably be sharp enough to kill somebody with. You pull up your shirt sleeves, revealing countless scars that were the result of that knife.


	2. Dave...

> Be Dave’s Bro.   
It is barely five in the morning when you are suddenly awaken by some god awful screaming sound. You grab your shades and drag your lazy ass out of bed to see what the hell is going on.   
“Dave?” You call out to your brother and get no reply. Shit, this can’t be good…  
You step into the hallway, afraid of what you might see. The bathroom door is cracked open, and light is flooding into the hall. You take a step toward the light, and for the first time in your life, you are truly afraid.   
You knock on the door, partially out of fear and partially hoping to get some kind of smart-ass comment from Dave about his privacy or some shit. But there is no reply. Nothing. The entire apartment is strangely quiet. You push the door open and-WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!?   
Your bro is lying on the floor in a puddle of blood. No. This cannot be happening. “DAVE!”  
You reach down and put your hand on his shoulder. He doesn’t move. He is still breathing though. Everything will be okay. It just has to be. Dave has to be okay. You go to pull out your phone and call 911, only to remember that you left it sitting at work yesterday. Dave’s phone. Where the hell did Dave keep his phone?  
After a few minutes of searching his room frantically, you remember that it is on the charger in the kitchen. You dial the numbers, your hands shaking like you haven’t eaten in days. 9-1-1.  
“911, what’s your emergency?”  
“My little brother- the bathroom- there’s blood everywhere.”  
“Sir, if you could please keep calm and-”  
“MY LITTLE BROTHER IS DYING DAMNIT OF COURSE I’M NOT GOING TO BE CALM!!”  
You flip the phone shut, disconnecting the call. They have all their GPS shit, so they can figure out where you are by tracing the call or something like that.


	3. One Last Chance

> Be that Egbert kid.  
You are now John Egbert. As mentioned before, your best friend is Dave Strider. You just heard that Dave is in the ER. You and your Dad are on your way to see him. The car ride is taking forever. And by forever, you mean that you have been in the car for almost ten minutes already, with another ten to go.   
You pull out your phone and are about to text Dave, when it hits you. What if he doesn’t make it? You might never get to talk to him again. That’s what Bro told your Dad, anyway. Things were pretty bad. It had to be bad. Bro actually used a phone for once. He NEVER uses phones. Well, he does occasionally whip out the cell camera on the smuppets, but that’s another story.   
As your Dad pulls into the parking space at the hospital, you open the door and jump out, sprinting toward the front doors of the building. You only stop for a moment, when the automatic door is opening too slowly to run through.   
The lady at the front desk looks at you over her glasses, like your existence seems to bother her for some reason. Bitch. Well whatever.   
“I’m here to see Dave.”  
“Last name?”  
“Strider. Dave Strider.”  
“Mhm, and you’re of what relation?”  
“Rel- oh, he’s my… Dave and I are a couple. I’m his boyfriend.”  
“Is that so? Well I’m sorry sir, but only family visitors are allowed.”  
“Let the kid see Dave.” The voice came from around the corner. Bro walked out into the waiting room. He lacked the ironic pointy shades that you had never seen him without. His eyes were bright red, probably from crying, you thought.   
“Sir, as I just told ‘the kid,’ our policy is to only allow family.”  
“He’s my second cousin then. Now just unlock the goddamn door?”  
There was a clicking noise that sounded like a door, then a young woman appeared in the entryway.  
“Mr. Strider? May I have a word with you?”  
Bro left with the woman. The lady at the desk glared at you. You wanted to just bust through the door and see Dave’s smile and know everything was going to be alright. You wanted to tell her how you really felt. But you didn’t. Truth be told, you were afraid of that woman, and more importantly, you were scared for Dave.


	4. Just You and Me Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I haven't posted an update here in a while. I have up through ch 13 on my computer but am having severe writer's block and want to space them out until I have a definite endpoint. Feel free to send suggestions and such.

> Be Dave’s Bro (again).  
You still can’t believe any of this. Now, not only is your little bro in the ER, but he has a boyfriend? He could have told you that. Surely Dave knew about your sexuality. You’ve taken guys home enough times that he had to have realized by now. You still liked girls, well, you liked Roxy anyway. But what’s over is over. And what’s it matter anyway? It doesn’t.   
“Mr. Strider?”  
Oh yeah. That nurse wanted to talk to you.   
“Mr. Strider, I regret to inform you of this, but Dave is…no longer with us.”  
“What-no. It just. I can’t. WHY DIDN’T YOU SAVE HIM?”  
“I’m very sorry. We did everyth-”  
“YOU DID NOT! YOU JUST…I just…” You decide it’s best to leave now.   
You are on your way out when you see Egbert standing in the entryway. He looks at you, as if asking about Dave. You just shake your head and walk out.   
> ¬¬¬¬¬Be John.   
It hurt. It really hurt knowing you would never have your best friend back. But what was bothering you even more right now was the look of pain on Bro’s face. Bro had always told you that he didn’t have emotions, but you could clearly see now that he had been lying all along.  
As he walks out the door, you decide to follow him. It probably wasn’t the best idea, but he looked like he needed someone.   
“Bro, wait up!”   
You honestly don’t know how you managed to speak through choking on tears, but somehow the words come out.   
He doesn’t stop, nor does he even acknowledge you. You run up behind him and cling to his arm. You are acting really childish today.  
Bro stops walking and looks down at you. He puts his arm around your shoulder and it is strangely comforting.   
“Well, it looks like it’s just you and me now, kiddo…”


End file.
